St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church

Early Christian art created some beautiful images to communicate the importance and benefits of prayer.

 

One particularly memorable image is found in the Church of St. Apollinare in Classe, in the Italian city of Ravenna. Ravenna was the capital of the western half of the Byzantine Empire in the early Middle Ages. The churches built during those years reflected the greatness of the Empire, as well as the greatness of the Church.

 

So they were decorated with some of the most exquisite mosaics in the world.

 

One of these depicts a small, white marble fountain that looks like an exquisite birdbath. Just underneath the bowl of the fountain, the white marble is decorated with a bright strip of gold. The fountain is filled with clear, blue water. Two doves are perched on either side. One has lowered its bright red beak to drink; the other has raised its head and is looking around. The visual beauty of the image comes from its simplicity: just a few figures, elegantly arranged, with pure, bright colors.

 

The symbolic beauty of the image comes from its depth of meaning. The marble fountain is the Church.

 

The bright, clear water inside the fountain is Christ, the water of life. The drinking dove is the Christian soul, filling itself with Christ's grace. The other dove is the Holy Spirit, who watches over each one of us and accompanies us. This is prayer, which gives life and refreshment to our souls, just as the water does to the dove.

 

The image shows how central prayer really is in the Christian view of life: the Church, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the soul - all come together in the life-giving unity of prayer. The Catechism goes so far as to say that prayer itself is our vital and personal relationship with God. In other words, our relationship with God, and therefore our happiness, depends directly on the quality of our prayer life.

 

2558 "Great is the mystery of the faith!" The Church professes this mystery in the Apostles' Creed (Part One) and celebrates it in the sacramental liturgy (Part Two), so that the life of the faithful may be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father (Part Three). This mystery, then, requires that the faithful believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer.

 

It's very simple to do. Choose a time and place in which you won't be interrupted. Then do three things:

 

1) Remember - Remind yourself that Christ is with you and wants to be with you. Think of all the blessings He has given you.

2) Read - Take out a spiritual book, a Bible, or your favorite prayer book and read a paragraph or two, slowly. No rush

3) Reflect - Think about what you read. Listen to what God wants to say to you through it. Apply it to your life.

 

Remember, Read, and Reflect. Before you know it the fifteen minutes will be up, and you will have received a word of encouragement from God to help you live the life He wants you to.

 

Prayer is the secret to allowing all the graces to flow into your soul that God has in store for us. Today, He is hoping we will decide to become better prayers. Let's not disappoint Him.